Silent Hill: Sound and Fury
by Sir Hellsing
Summary: A troubled writer finds himself having recurring memories of his forgotten past. When a friend asks him to take her to Silent Hill, his memory lapses heighten and his life story begins to piece together before him.
1. Upon Entry

**Disclaimer's Note**: Silent Hill and its many faces and components, including the name of the town, its original characters, cult, and all other facts stated within the original game's context is copyrighted and a registered trademark of KONAMI. _Author's Note: This story is told completely in "stream of consciousness."_ Silent Hill: Sound and Fury summary 

A story of a troubled writer searching for "the answer" when he suddenly finds himself having recurring memories of his past—a past that he doesn't seem to recognise at first. When a friend calls him up and asks to take her to Silent Hill, his memory lapses heighten and the story of his life begin to piece together. Will he then find "the answer"?

_Told completely in stream of consciousness._

**Episode One: Upon Entry**

I wasn't sure if I was dreaming or not, but when I saw it pass by me the other day I was pretty sure that I wasn't: It was a large behemoth that stormed across the dirt path in the park. I didn't mind much to the matter because I was occupied with other matters at the time. I have a deadline to meet and I wasn't even half way done with the script when I received the call requesting my draft. I told my editor that I would have it to him completely finished and perfect by the end of this week, on Sunday. Today is Monday.

Anyway, I let the thought of my deadline pass, but I couldn't stop thinking about that _thing_. I was staring up at my bedroom ceiling, lying on my bed, peering my mind as to what that thing was. I closed my eyes and saw black and probed my brain until I saw something on the other side.

I could see a little girl running, no, skipping somewhere in town. Her little dress was the most vibrant of colours from the image. I immediately recognised her as my neighbour from when I was eleven. I can't remember her name though. What was it? I can't even remember what it started with.

My eyes were still closed, and I still saw the little girl skipping through town_. I followed her all the way. We passed by the old flower shop and then suddenly we appeared in the old neighbourhood where we lived. She lived just two houses down from where I lived, but she didn't go to her own house. Instead, she went to mine. So I followed her. I opened the front door and walked in. I could hear my mother's voice being carried throughout the house as she prepared dinner for the family._

_I closed the door behind me and then I heard my mother call to me, "Aidan, is that you?"_

"_Yes," _I replied. I walked over to the coat hanger and took off my little coat and hung it there. Funny, I don't ever remember getting dirt on my coat.

I walked to the den next, where I found Dad and Dennis, my older brother. They paid no attention to me as I walked through, the only time they ever said anything to me was when I crossed their path between them and the TV, to which they protested. They were watching their stupid football game. So I walked to the kitchen and found Mother at the stove stirring a pot.

"Hi honey," she said, looking over to me. Mother was the only person in the house who didn't mind my presence. "Back from playing already?" she queried.

I looked up into her pretty face and said, "I was chasing — and then she came in here. Did you see her?"

"Who?" Mother said.

"—. I saw her come in here."

Then Mother stopped what she was doing and looked at me. She didn't look angry or sad, but she told me to go to my room. All I heard her say was that I was eleven and a big boy now and shouldn't be "doing that," whatever that meant. So I went to my bedroom upstairs. As I was walking up the stairs, however, I heard the little girl laugh. It was coming from my room! I ran up the stairs suddenly, almost tripping on my shoelaces as I did so, and burst through my bedroom doors.

_I reopened my eyes and saw that the sun was already setting. My apartment was filled with a subtle orange glow and it still felt warm somehow. The phone was ringing so I walked over to it and picked up the receiver._

"_Hello,"_ I said.

"Aidan?"

"Yeah. Who is this?"

"Hi, it's —." (My ears popped suddenly and I completely missed her name. I felt bad so I didn't ask for it again.)

"Oh, hi," I said. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. But, um, I was wondering if you could take me somewhere right now? It's sort of urgent, but I understand if you cant. I mean, I know you have that script to write and all before Sunday. But—" she stopped and took a breath.

"What?" I asked.

"I was wondering if you could take me into —?"

'_I could put my script off for one more night_,' I thought. So I said, "Yeah, sure. When did you want to go?"

"Now. I'm in front of your apartment. I was passing by and suddenly remembered that I needed a ride to get to —, so I thought of you. I hope it's not a problem with you."

"No, not at all. Not like I was actually doing anything anyway. Okay, so I'll see you in a few. 'Kay, bye."

I hung up the receiver and walked over to my closet, which was to the right of my bed. I pulled out my coat and threw it over my shoulder and made way for the door.

I opened my door_ and ran in. I looked around but I couldn't find her. Where did she go? I looked through my closet and searched under my bed but I found no one. I was looking through my dressers when Mother finally called me down for dinner. So I ceased my search and walked over to the door and _walked out of my apartment.

I was walking down the hallway when a man with a long brown coat said hi to me and a woman with a red dress waved her little hand at me. It was my neighbour from two doors down and his whore. They're extremely loud at night and sometimes they keep me up. It's quite annoying, really.

I took the elevator down because I wasn't in the mood for walking three flights of stairs. I finally left the apartment and put on my coat. The girl who I was talking to over the phone was waiting there. She smiled when she saw me and came over and gave me a hug, so I hugged her back. When she released me I noticed that she had a bouquet of flowers in her hands, so I asked her what they were for and she said that they were for her grandmother.

We then walked to my car and started on our way out of town. She was silent throughout almost the entire ride there, save for when she would give me directions; I didn't want to ask any questions because I guess that's just in my nature.

Finally, when we were almost more than halfway there (she was giving me directions all the way through because I honestly did not know how to get there) I spotted the sign that read _"Silent Hill 5 miles"_. That name sounded familiar somehow.

"Hey, Aidan, do you wanna stop for something to eat? I'm hungry." The girl said, rubbing he hand on her stomach.

"_Dennis, don't do that with your fork!" Mother cried out as Dennis began shoving his fork down his throat. For an eighteen-year-old he sure wasn't smart. Mother hovered around the dinner table, scooping large amounts of mashed sweet potato onto our plates and even larger amounts of stuffing. Father would of course carve the turkey first and give a share to Mother, then Dennis, then me, and then himself._

"_Careful with that knife, Robert," Mother said. "Aidan! Robert! Stop! Aidan! Aidan! Watch out!"_

"Aidan! Watch out!"

I had let go of the steering wheel, but I could feel that it was already too late. The car began to go off the road, bumping up and down, violently. I could feel myself getting sick. My vision was even blurring and suddenly the world went white for a second and then green and then white again and then normal and then blurry again. But not only was everything blurry, the world around me began to shake. I could hear her screaming. She was screaming my name. She even tried to grab onto the steering wheel but the motion was too violent that she couldn't even hold on—_I _couldn't even hold on.

And then something hit us. Or we hit something. I don't know. My head was feeling like it split and then everything went black…


	2. Welcome to Silent Hill

**Episode Two: Welcome to Silent Hill**

My head was hurting. I felt an excruciating pain in the back, right above the nape of my neck. I woke up with several coughs and I felt something dribbling from the corner of my mouth. As I opened my eyes my vision was still smeared but it slowly came into focus the more I blinked back into the world. I could smell the fumes escaping from inside the car, swirling up my nostril. My head hurt real badly, but I don't think it's because of the accident.

The windshield was completely shattered, glass was strewn everywhere. I looked at my body and noticed that I was hit. But at least I was still alive. Then I looked over to my right and saw that the girl was hanging from her seat belt. I then realised that my car was flipped over. Blood was trickling from her body and her chest wasn't moving. Is she dead? Well, if she was, I can't help her now.

I then released myself from my own seat belt and fell onto the ceiling of my car. My body was feeling numbed and my muscles were contracting; but I still managed to crawl through the broken window. I pulled my body out of my car and dragged myself up the trench—it was a pretty deep trench, too.

When I finally got out of the trench I stood up on both legs, wobbled a little, but was fine. I wiped the blood off of my face and stared down at the car where the dead girl was still trapped. I couldn't save her.

_It's too late, the nurse said, walking out of a room._

_What do you mean, Mother asked her._

_It's too late. She's not going to pull through, her system is too weak, the child, she paused, I'm sorry, there's nothing more that we can do. It's not your fault. Then she looked down at me, I could see her eyes welling up with tears. She said to me, I'm sorry, Aidan._

_I turned away from her_ and started walking down the street. According to the sign posted on the wooden pole I was still two miles away from Silent Hill. I could walk that. Four years of track and field in high school had prepared me well enough for this. And so I walked, alone in the darkening day.

The air was growing cold, _real_ cold. I could already see the puff of my breath escaping from my nostrils and mouth. And then suddenly, as I was walking down the street, I heard a loud explosion from where my car had crashed. I didn't turn back, but the flames were so bright that I saw my shadow grow long before me and the red light grew warm. I never found out her name. I know her—I know I do—but I don't remember her name. She's dead now, and it's not my fault. Her name doesn't matter anymore.

It took me ten full minutes to get away from the red light and the smell of burning oil and metal and flesh. And then I was consumed by darkness again.

I walked further and further, five minutes passing by when I finally saw another sign that read _"Silent Hill ½ miles"_. There were now tall telephone poles that towered over me, and attached to them were fluorescent lamps that stuck out from the poles, hanging from chains attached at the end of their supports.

A few minutes passed by now. I finally reached the town, I knew this when I saw its sign: WELCOME TO SILENT HILL, it read.

I reached a rest stop, which was positioned on the top of the Observation Deck. There was a lone restroom building here. I walked over to the grate and looked out into the distance. It was dark out there, but I knew that this was the outskirts of Silent Hill.

Out in the distance I could see several buildings that were lit up, but that was all. Everything else was drowned in black. There were steps that led down into the forest, but I wouldn't take that path ever, especially now when it's so dark out.

I looked at my watch. Six-thirty. I need to find a ride back home. But first I needed to finish some business. So I walked over to the restroom and walked in. I found that the walls and floor and ceiling were completely covered in filth and graffiti. The mirrors of the two sinks were cracked and thick with dust and the sinks were rusted out. Shit lingered around the open stalls and the smell of piss was overwhelming. I turned back and walked from the restroom, sick to my stomach from what I witnessed. But I still have to go. I walked back over to the grates, unzipped my pants and started pissing there. I don't care if anyone sees me. It's dark anyway.

After I finished my business, shaking off the few drops, I zipped myself back up and walked over to the underpass.

_Here we go, Father said, as we drove nearer to the underpass. It was dark outside, so this made things even more exciting for me. Father knew that I really liked driving through the tunnel when it was dark because it was even darker going through the tunnel. It always made me think about_

I paused for a second. It's always darker inside. What if I get mugged or something? I had to choose from my options: Go through the pitch-black tunnel to get to town, which was the shorter way, or to go through the forest?

I chose the tunnel.

_We went through the tunnel. We could barely see ten feet in front of us, which left very little time to react, especially at the speed at which Father was driving. He always drove fast. We drove through the tunnel for a long time. Jeez, I forgot how long this tunnel goes. I felt the car pull to right as we slightly turned to the left—the tunnel swerved here and there, which made the ride even more exciting. I was laughing in jubilation as gravity hit me and pulled my body to the right, and that's when we hit it._

_It flew onto the hood of our car, so Father made a quick turn to the right, then shifted into reverse and drove fast, knocking it off of the car. My heart was racing with the car, my heart won. It felt like it leapt out of my chest and sped away. Father started yelling and wheezing. I couldn't understand him because he kept on spitting between words and slurred everything. I couldn't quite see him either because it was so dark. I started to cry._

_But then Dad hit me and told me to stop because I was making him even more nervous, and then he screamed at me. It was at that point that I had wished the tunnel wasn't so long. We finally reached the end. It wasn't my fault._

It wasn't so dark in the tunnel anymore; they must've installed these light fixtures after I left. But they weren't helping much. They were dim, making it very difficult to see in front of me still.

When I reached what I thought to be the middle of the tunnel, I found that it was being barricaded by an iron gate, rusted to the core. On it was a warning sign cautioning people of construction and to take another route, and then there was an arrow that pointed to the right. I followed it and found that indeed another route was crafted here, so I took it.

But before I could even walk five feet I found myself before another barricade, this time metallic, but there was a door on the side and it was left hanging open. What was with these barricades?

I went through the door and found that I was now walking through a much narrower path, constructed completely in wood. It was brighter in here; I could see everything around me now. I suddenly ran into a staircase. I peered down it and it looked like it went down a long way. I had to take it though because it was the only way to get to town.

The wooden steps creaked beneath my feet as I crept down them. There were no railings for me to hold on to, but that didn't mind me too much. The fluorescent lamps hung so low that they almost made contact with my head every time I passed under one. And for some reason, the further down I walked the louder the buzzing of the lights got. It was growing incessantly and began to bug me.

I began hearing something else too. I could hear tiny voices swimming up from the darkness that still lingered below. I could also hear footsteps on the wood, reverberating off the narrow walls of the pathway. I couldn't make out anything they were saying though. Who is it, I wonder?

I finally reached the landing of the stairs, I checked my watch again but it still ready six-thirty. But it can't be broken. How? I tapped it a few times on the face, but to no avail.

The voices were stronger down here, which immediately recaptured my attention. But I could still not make out what they were saying, but they sound like little kids.

_What are you singing, Aidan, Mommy would ask me after I came home from school._

_It's a song they taught us today, I said._

_A song, huh? Sounds like a hymn. What a nice tune. Sing it from the beginning for me, Aidan._

They were singing.

There was a door in front of me, wooden, of course. I opened it and _walked onto the dirt path. I was seven and with Mommy and Daddy. Dennis was at his girlfriend Ashley's house. We were strolling through the forest as we always did on Sunday afternoons. I would hold on to Mommy's hand and sing my hymns to her because she loved it; she told me she loved it. Father walked beside us with his hands in his pockets, only to come out when he took a puff of his cigarette. Mommy hated it whenever he smoked. She hates the smell of the cigarettes. But I enjoyed it for some reason. It made me feel all grown up. When Dad lit a new one, according to Mommy it was his eighth one today, Mommy smacked it out of his hands, yelling at him and said that it made them feel sick. And then suddenly Mom flew back at me and nearly knocked me down and then_

I walked onto the path and found that I was in the forest, the one place where I didn't want to be. I looked back at where I came from and it looked like a broken down cabin, though an extremely small one. This path of course led to the cemetery where everyone went after they died. It was either this one or that _other one_. But that other one was only for the criminals that deserved it.

I passed by an ancient-looking well and a bench and then knew that I was very close to the cemetery. The voices finally faded as I neared the cemetery, but now I could hear sobbing coming from the cemetery. I opened the gate, which creaked as I did so and ever so loudly, and went through. A sudden blanket of fog was laid down upon the cemetery, and as I was walking through it I could hear the crunching of leaves beneath my feet and the sobbing of a woman somewhere nearby. I went to it for some reason I don't know why. But I did. And what I found behind a gravestone was not a very pleasant sight.

There was a woman down on her knees balling her eyes out over the corpse of a badly wounded man, or what was left of him.

His face was completely torn off, revealing the muscles and tendons and bones beneath. The eyeballs were taken out of their sockets and hung from their muscles. His chest was ripped open, revealing his insides, or what would have been inside him if they were not missing. I could see from where I was standing that the inside of his body was empty, it looked as if everything was completely ripped out from him and thrown somewhere, but there was no other trace of blood except for the pool of blood around him and on the crying woman. Also, his legs and one of his arms were missing and the fingers on the remaining hand were twisted in odd sorts. But that, amongst everything else, was not what disturbed me. On his skinless face there was a _smile_. Even without lips I could tell he was smiling and his gaze, with his eyes hanging out, was looking at me.

When the woman looked up and found that I was here, she leapt from her spot immediately and let out a scream of horror. I advanced toward her, trying to calm her down but she only moved away from both the body and me. I reached my arm and was trying to speak to her but she only screamed more and eventually ran away.

Suddenly I realised that I was inches away from the corpse and couldn't help but peer down into its open cavity again. And that's when I saw something shining. It looked like a key of some sort. It was where the heart was supposed to be. The peculiar part was that it wasn't covered in blood or anything. It looked new and was still shining. Having curiosity strike me I bent over and reached into the cavity of the man and with my index finger and thumb I retrieved the key.

I brought it to eye level and was examining it like I would a manuscript: with absolute precision. The grooves were completely different to those of a normal house key or car key. At one end of the key there was what looked like a small penny attached to it, only it wasn't a penny. There were carvings on the end of it, too. And on the other end of the penny, the base, there were a red jewel at the centre of an insignia—a familiar insignia.

_That's not how you draw it, said the girl sitting next to me in class. _This_ is how you draw it correctly, she said, redrawing the shapes of the insignia with her red pen._

_I put down my pencil and looked away from her. No one really liked her anymore since the announcement. Now she acts like she knows _everything_, which is stupid because no one knows _everything_. When Tommy told her that she cried and ran away from school. They found her thirty minutes later playing on the swing set in the playground. The next day Tommy was found dead in his room, apparently by suicide. He was only seven years old. He left a note to his parents saying that he hated them and that they were bad parents because they didn't teach him any manners. It was signed 'Thomas Siegfried King'._

_That girl didn't show up to school the next day, either. Her mom wrote the school, telling the principal that she had fallen ill and was hospitalised. She was weird. _

I was walking away from the cemetery, exiting from the northwest gate and got onto the path that led directly to Silent Hill. Hopefully I could find someone with a car to drive me back.

My mind traced back to that dead guy's body. I wonder what could've happened to him exactly? Why did he have to die? Who killed him? All of these things ran through my head. I couldn't keep my mind off it.

Body

Blood

Blood

Blood

Corpse

Corpse

Blood

_Blood everywhere_

_She died_

_Blood blood blood everywhere blood_

_I woke up to the sound of a crash coming from down the hall. I looked over to my alarm clock and saw that it was two o'clock in the morning. From my room I could hear Mother crying out loud. She was wailing so loud, I couldn't bear to hear it, so I went out of my room to see what was bothering her this time. The hallway was long and creaky. On either side of the walls there were portraits of family from ages past and present. I passed by my brother Dennis' room and the guest room. Mother's room was at the end. Her door was left ajar. An orange glow of light shone through the opening. Her cries blasted through this tiny crevice and shot into my ears. I walked slower to her room. The creaks of the floor were drowned in her emotion. My ears were ringing. I reached the door and placed my hand on it and pushed it slightly open. Her door creaked, too. Mother didn't stop crying though. I don't think she heard it._

_I walked through the door and saw Mother huddled in the far right corner of the room. The entire room was cast in an orange glow, emitting from the candles that were lit everywhere. The bed sheets of Mother's bed were stripped from the mattress. I took several steps into the room now._

_I walked closer to Mother; I could now see that there were legs that didn't belong to her sticking out from in front of her. There I also found her bed sheets. They were soaked in something dark. I reached out my hand to put it on Mother's shoulder but she suddenly turned her head toward me and I saw blood streaming from her face. She was crying. Her tears streamed from her eyes. Her lips were crusted with dried blood. And then she let out a scream so loud the world around me turned white. My body wobbled to and fro and then it fell slowly to the floor. My eyes were still open and I saw blood everywhere and the body from where it was coming from._

Wiltse Road.

I was walking down a road that was called Wiltse Road. It's a narrow path, just barely enough room for two cars to pass by in opposite directions.

I finally reached town. I walked onto Sanders Street and there before me stood the old flower shop.

"Welcome to Silent Hill" read another sign posted next to the flower shop.

Silent Hill…


	3. The Return

_Author's Note: This is quite a long chapter and was, at first, a bit difficult to write because I still needed to smooth a few things out in the information and events that take place in this particular chapter._

_Enjoy. And don't forget to review. Thanks in advance._

**  
Episode Three: The Return**

_  
Everyone was out in the streets that day. It was the day of the "fair" that was put on by the church. Mothers and fathers and boys and girls were all dancing and cheering for the show to go on. Robbie the Rabbit was there to entertain the kids. It was a sad day._

_I was sitting in church alone, save for the priest that was there to tend to the place. I had my hands clasped together and my head bent down in prayer in hopes that God could hear me._

"_Aidan," someone called me, but I didn't look up to see who it was. I was praying, couldn't they see? "Aidan," they called out again. This time they tapped me on the shoulder. "Aidan, sorry to bother you but,"_

_I looked up at them_ but there was no one around. Every shop in town, every building, every street was deserted and devoid of life. It's not even that late. There aren't even any cars in the streets, save for the ones that are parked along the sidewalks. I walked past the flower shop and stopped at the intersection of Sanders and Neely. On its corner to my right there was a bar named after the street itself. It was strange because this was the only place I've seen so far that had its lights on. I walked towards it and the closer I got to the building I began to hear voices coming from inside the bar. I approached the nearest window and peered through, but it was useless because the window was so thick and murky that all I could see were shadows moving about inside.

I tried for the door next but found that it was locked—from the _outside_. There was a heavy lock attached to the door. Why would it be locked from the _outside_? Wanting to get inside to hopefully ask someone for a ride I tried something foolish that probably wouldn't work. I reached into the pocket of my jacket and withdrew that key I found in the dead guy. I inserted the key into the keyhole of the lock and it fit! But when I tried to turn it, it jammed. I took the key out and pocketed it once more. What the hell is wrong with this place? Where is everyone?

Then I heard someone run pass me. I quickly turned around to see who it was, but all I could see was the silhouette of someone running down the street. I called after them.

"Hey!" I called out, running as fast as I could to catch up to them. I'm a pretty good runner, thanks to track and field. "Hey, wait up!" I picked up speed, but as soon as I did so did they. Were they running away from me?

They then made a sharp right turn onto Katz Street, so I made a right on there. "Stop!" I finally said, but they didn't even bother to look back. Then they made a left onto the next street, I did the same.

I turned into a narrow alleyway. I ran down it, and as I was running down this alley, the lights on the lamppost began to flicker off and now I was being chased by the darkness behind me. Then suddenly the lights in front of me turned off and I was completely consumed in the abyss of the town.

I stopped in my tracks and waited until my pupils adjusted to the immense darkness that surrounded me. When they finally did I started to walk carefully ahead. But then I kicked something on the ground and it skit away from me. It hit something and it flashed on, almost blinding me because of how bright it was. I walked over to it and picked it up. It was a clip-on flashlight.

After clipping it on to the breast pocket of my jacket I surveyed the surrounding, now lit with my flashlight. I couldn't find that person anywhere, they must've jumped over that fence.

I walked over to the fence that blocked off the alley and hoisted myself over it. I landed a little haphazardly and I think I hurt my ankle a bit, but I didn't mind that, it wasn't like I was going to die or anything.

When I wiped myself clean of any dirt or dust—just a habit of mine—I scanned my new surrounding. I found that I was in the back of what appears to be an abandoned fire station.

It was a rather massive piece of block made entirely of redbrick. The building stood three stories high and probably twice as long. There were three large doors and above each were signs that read "Silent Hill Fire Dept. No. 1, 2, and 3". And to the far left I could see an average-sized door, which was the back entrance to the building (obviously). I looked around for a bit longer and found nothing unusual, save for the rusting heap of metal abomination to the right of me. There was no other way out of the back, the only way out now was to either turn back and climb over the fence or—

There was a crash from the third floor of the building. I looked up to see if I could see someone. When I looked up I saw a flash of light from one of the third floor windows. It must be that person I was chasing. I ran for the back entrance door and pulled at the doorknob but it wouldn't budge. _Fuck_. They must've locked it from the other side.

I didn't want to scare the person away so I couldn't bang on the door or do something that would cause alarm to the person upstairs so I tried my key again. I fitted it into the keyhole and turned slightly—it worked! I re-pocketed my key and opened the door slightly as it creaked open.

I crept through the door and found myself standing in a hallway wide enough for two people to pass through. At the end I could make out stairs that led up and to my immediate right there was a door, completely dilapidated and hanging on its hinges. I passed by the dilapidated door and peered through: there was nothing really interesting in there. It was just a large garage with two of the three fire trucks still inside. That was all I could make out because it was incredibly dark inside, even with my flashlight shining into it.

There were several pictures and certificates hanging on the wall of the corridor I was standing in. I searched it for some reason and came to a stop when I saw the name

"_Robert D. Thames, yes sir, that would be me, son," Father said to me whilst holding up his certificate of achievement that he got from the fire department. "Chief Warren named me 'Fighter of the Year,' he did. I earned it, of course. None of those other pussies matched up to me," he said._

_Mother overheard him use the word 'pussies' and yelled at him for five minutes straight. Father walked into the kitchen where mother always was and then I heard a _crash coming from the third floor. I looked away from the wall of fame and made my way toward the stairs.

They were metal-wrought stairs and looked sturdy enough to walk on. They made that heavy clanking sound whenever I would set foot on every step—that was inevitable I guess.

As I walked up the metallic stairs I could feel a cold draft rushing down past me. When I finally reached the second floor I immediately made my way up to the third floor but I was hindered by a tall, locked iron gate. There was another lock on this gate and no key lying around. What were they trying to hide?

I took a step back from the stairwell and began my exploration of the second floor. The paint on the walls here were peeling and hanging loosely from their ends. The fluorescent lamps were hanging on their chains, swinging eerily in the air; they weren't working of course. The only source of light came from my little flashlight that was clipped to my jacket.

The floor beneath me was sticky and in most parts wet with puddles of water. I could hear what sounded like running water coming from the distance.

I continued walking down the corridor as the sound of running water grew louder and louder and my shoes soon became sodden with water and started squishing beneath my feet with every step I took.

From what I examined of the walls I found that the entire building was falling apart. I could not only see beneath the thick layer of paint, but I could also see the infrastructure and tiny maggots crawling from its dark holes. I walked past the first door, which led to the lockers. I checked to see if it was unlocked, but knowing my luck it wasn't. So I continued on.

The next door I tried, however, was unlocked, and it led to the showers. I entered this room and found that all of the showerheads had been ripped out of their walls. The shower room was filled with a heavy odour: It smelt like rotting vegetables and spoiled milk blended together in one room.

There was also a strange glow coming from behind the first wall. Being the curious bastard I am, I walked forward, but only to realise that the water level in here was deeper because the room was set lower than the rest of the rooms on this floor. So I was now treading in ankle-deep, brown water. My feet were getting cold already.

When I turned the corner of the wall I found a single bathtub. It was filthy and shit-encrusted. The water that was spilling over its edges was filthy too, dark in colour, and I could see tiny chunks of what looked like human shit spilling over onto the floor, clogging up the drains. Next to the bathtub there was a single silver table that stood on one leg, which looked to be implanted into the floor. And on that table there was a single lamp that was seemingly attached to the table and hung over the bathtub like an erect vine. At the end was a rather large light bulb that shone brightly in the darkness of the room.

But just beyond the bathtub, on the opposite wall, I could make out some writing. It looked like it was written in _blood_. What the _fuck_?

'drain the tub to find your escape' was what it read.

Was I supposed to reach into that filthy tub and unclog it or something? Who the fuck do they think they are? Sick bastards. But it said "to find your escape"…Could the key to the gate on the stairs really be in there? But what if it's some sick joke or something? What if I'm really on some stupid reality TV show where they pull pranks on you? What if there're hidden cameras in this room watching me? And people sitting in the comforts of their homes laughing at me? What the fuck is wrong with these people?

"What the hell," I said. What have I got to lose, really?

I pulled back the sleeve to my jacket and shirt up past my elbow, knelt down into the filthy water and drove my right arm, whilst placing my left on the edge of the tub (which felt disgusting because it was covered in something slimy). I felt around the bottom of the tub for a few seconds, grabbing on to a few nasty little logs whilst doing so, until I found the hoop that was attached to what I presumed to be the plug.

I pulled at the plug with my one hand, but it didn't seem to budge at all. Water was sloshing onto my clothes and I think a few drops got into my mouth (though I couldn't taste anything). And then I heard something from behind me. It was coming from the adjacent room, the lockers.

I stopped tugging at the plug for a second, to see if I could hear what made that noise, but nothing came for a while. When I went back to pulling at the plug I heard it again; this time when I stopped, the noise from the lockers room got louder.

It sounded like something heavy banging against something metallic—presumably the lockers. I could hear the ground rumble beneath the heavy whatever-the-fuck-it-is.

The sound was getting heavier and louder with every passing second. I turned my head to face the direction from which it was coming but the damned wall was blocking my vision.

I could feel my heart pounding in my chest now. The blood coursing through my body was picking up rapid pace and my body began to perspire dramatically.

Then I felt something grab at my right arm. I turned back to the tub and saw another arm protruding from the murky water. I could feel my skin rip as I felt its claws digging deep into my flesh. It was pulling me towards it, and it was pretty damned strong, too. I tried to hold on to the edge of tub with my left arm but the thing in the water was pulling too hard. It felt as if it were trying to rip my arm from my socket.

The thing from the locker room was still making a loud raucous as it rang through my ears.

It wasn't long before I felt my entire body submerge into the thick and filthy _water was rushing up my nostrils. I choked on it for a second. It stung and it was hard to breathe for a few moments but I managed to catch my breath again._

_I had slipped into the bathtub trying to reach for a new bar of soap. To night was to be my first time bathing myself._

_I remember I had to cling to sweet air trying to fight my way back up to the surface. It took me a while but I managed to do it in the end. When I finally sat up in my bathtub I began scrubbing at my body with the bar of soap._

_Then a few seconds later Mommy came into the bathroom and poured a cup of bubbles into the bathtub and in mere seconds an entire cultivation of foamy bubbles emerged from the waters of the bathtub. I couldn't see into the clear water anymore as it was invaded by the white clouds._

_Mother left me soon after to fend for myself against these bubbles. But I would manage to do it._

_I don't know how much time past by but I was suddenly pushed into the bubble-filled water by someone from the surface. I didn't get to see who it was because I managed to get some bubbles in my eyes. Damned bubbles. They managed to completely submerge my entire body under water._

_I could feel the burning sensation of water rushing through my nostrils and into my throat. I tried to gulp breaths of air that I managed to keep in my mouth, but that only allowed more water to pass through my nostrils. My arms broke the water's surface and I immediately grabbed onto someone's arm. It was sleeved._

_I pulled at it, trying to make my way back to the surface, but the person's strength was far too superior for my weak body. _

_Then, finally, the person's arm released me and they pulled their arm out of the water. I jumped out of the water_ and was hanging over the edge of the bathtub.

My head hurt real badly after that. I could feel my brain thumping heavily inside my skull and all I could hear was the pumping of blood in my ears and the sounds of a siren blaring loudly. I opened my eyes and coughed up the disgusting water. It left a revolting aftertaste so I tried to spit as much of it out of my mouth as possible until the taste was finally gone.

When my vision came back to me I could see that I wasn't in the same room, but at the same time I was. There was evidence left to have me believe that I was still in the shower room, but now every wall was completely taken down and in its place was a metal-mesh fence, completely rusted over. The room was now filled with a red tint and I could hear the humming of the lights above me. And the sound of the siren began to fade away into the distance.

I pulled myself out of the bathtub, having the weight of my drenched clothes keep me down. When I finally emerged my entire body from the bathtub, my body dropped to the floor, which clanked beneath me. I felt the ground beneath me: I was lying not on a solid, tiled floor but a metal-meshed one, and it didn't feel very sturdy.

I got up on my two feet and stood there for a second and surveyed my surroundings more carefully. I could see that the walls were now completely covered in blood and rust. There were metal rods also protruding from the dead wall.

That banging noise was gone now, as was its source. The doorway that separated the shower room and the lockers was completely demolished and the door from which I came through was sealed now. I checked my flashlight in my shirt pocket because I noticed that there wasn't any light shining. The switch read "off" so I switched it back on and it lit up again.

As I did so, the light shone upon the sealed door and in the distance I could see that there was more writing here, in the same substance as before. I took several steps closer to see if I could read it. It was barely legible. It looked fresh and was still running down the wall.

_Fire Purifies All_

I walked past the enclosed door into the locker room. In here the benches and lockers were still somewhat in tact: there were several lockers that looked beaten and a few that lay collapsed on the floor. The majority of the locker doors were hanging on their hinges, squeaking as if a nonexistent wind was blowing them hither and thither.

The air in here was heavier and dirtier. I could almost _taste_ the musky scent that lingered in the air.

This room was just as bloodstained and rusted as the previous. I scanned the contents of one locker, but there was nothing interesting inside. As I closed it, I heard a rumbling sound coming from another nearby. The door suddenly creaked open and something fell from the locker. It made a clanking noise as it made contact with the ground. I knelt down to pick it up and examined it before my flashlight. It was a gold-plated lighter. With closer examination I found the same insignia on the lighter as I did on the key. I flipped open the cover and ignited the lighter. It still worked.

After checking the first set of lockers against the back wall, I moved toward the ones on the wall opposite. The first one was locked, as were the proceeding eight lockers. But when I approached the tenth and final one, I noticed that it looked a lot like a miniature door rather than a locker door.

It had a doorknob and an eyehole to boot, and also on it was a wreath that Mother would always put up every holiday season.

I leant in to get a closer inspection of the miniature door and found that the address to my old house was placed adjacent to the door: "152406". I tried for the tiny doorknob, but it seemed to be locked. I checked the keyhole and saw that it required a normal-sized key.

Suddenly, there was a loud crashing sound coming from the hallway now. I turned away from the door to see if there was anyone in the room. But I found no one.

I walked to the door at the end. It was unlocked. I turned the doorknob slowly and pushed gently against the door and peered out through the crack of the door.

There I saw it: A large behemoth standing on its two massive arms. Its upper body was just as massive and tumour-like. From where I was standing I could see its body bubbling with blisters and pus ooze from its orifices. The bottom half of its body was nonexistent. From where the top half ended, a large chain protruded from its underside, chained to the floor. It was practically immobile.

The creature also lacked hands or fingers. Its huge arms were just massive stubs, bandaged at the end with blood still soaking through. I couldn't see its face from here, seeing that its back was turned to me. I took advantage of this situation and snuck out of the locker room and ran back to the stairwell, but a metal-mesh gate blocked it now.

_Fuck._

I turned back to face the back of the monster, who was just standing there, its body convulsed at random moments. I scanned the floor to see if there was anything to protect myself with, but I could only find broken beer bottles and trash. The hallway was modelled exactly like the locker room and shower room: distorted walls that bled and metal-grated floor that moaned softly with every step I took.

Without anything to protect me, I prayed that the thing wouldn't catch me, so I decided to run at a sprint. The floor beneath me cried in protest to my weight. I took several large steps at a fast pace and barely made it past the creature when it suddenly woke to life.

Its arms swung out at me, brushing against my back. I felt a metal object—like a blade—slice into my skin, but just barely. I fell forward to the shock of the attack, landing on my hands. Tiny glass shards pushed into the palms of my hands, but didn't penetrate.

I quickly got up and didn't look back to see if the monster had gotten loose. I ran straightforward and made a sharp left at the turn. In this corridor I found two doors opposite each other on either side of me. Above the door to my right there was a placard that said it was the conference room and to my right was the dispatch room. I tried for the room that first came to mind: the dispatch room. But when I grabbed for the handles, I found it to be locked. I turned and opened the door to the conference room.

As I entered this room, I found that there was a lone table that sat thirteen men and women, and in the centre of the table was a small, portable fax machine that looked like new. I scanned the rest of the room but found nothing interesting, other than a church flyer that was advertising for the annual church festival. _St. Stella's Church_. The church next door to the fire station.

I walked around the room and surveyed the conference table. It looked like its about to fall apart. Termites have chewed at the wood incessantly it looks like. Mould formed at the ends of the table, seemingly oozing from its crevices and dripped to the floor, which was surprisingly tiled.

That fax machine still had my attention above all else in this room. It was still so pristine and _new_. Its shiny white coat glowed in the presence of my flashlight. I walked toward it and pressed the power button to see if it was in working order. Immediately the machine shot to life and began humming its mechanic tune.

_What the—_

Paper was dispensing from the output of the machine. I took it from the tray and read it:

_Attn: THAMES, Report to Chief Warren's office A.S.A.P.  
__Information regarding S— of the I— is to be discussed._

I reread the sheet of paper several times over, flipping it over to see if there was anything on the back, but found nothing else pertaining to the information I just read. _'S of the I?' What the hell is that supposed to mean?_ I shoved the piece of paper into one of my jacket pocket and left the conference room.

Remembering that that monster was still in the hallway, I made haste down the hallway and made another left toward the chief's office. I remember when Dad used to take me here; we would always go visit the Chief of the Fire Department. He was a nice man.

As I walked down the corridor to the chief's office, the world around me began changing again. The walls were changing back to normal, the ceiling above me pieced back together again and the floor became solid. But something else was happening along with this. I began to lose the ability to see colour. The world around me became nothing but shades of blacks, whites and greys. A static noise started playing in my head—or was it?

My head began hurting again, the static sound getting louder. My heart started pumping at a fast pace. The world was normal again, but my vision was still in black and white. Everything was grainy, like an old film.

I reached the door and turned it, noting that on the door a sign was hung: "Chief of Silent Hill Fire Department Brian Warren".

I turned the knob and walked in.

_Warren was sitting behind his desk, his fat chin resting on his folded hands, his elbows resting on his oak desk. He was staring into the eyes of the man who had just stepped foot into his office._

_He received my memo_, Warren thought, not taking his eyes off the man. As much as he hated to admit it, he was afraid of this man. He had potential. _A lot_ of potential. He beckoned the man to take a seat in one of the open chairs. The man sat down, folded his hands and placed them in his lap—very businesslike. He had that smirk on his face, that smirk that looked like he had just won something.

_You haven't won _yet the chief thought. Finally, Warren made a grab for a stack of papers on his desk and handed them to the man.

"Thames," he started, still not taking his beady eyes off the man. "There in your hands is the packet given to me from the High Priestess. She has outlined everything from point A to Z for us. She has noted that she has all that is required for it to all go smoothly and work perfectly, save for the one Lamb she lacks."

Thames looked away from the packet now and returned his line of vision to the fat chief. His smile still didn't wane.

"And so she's turning to me to offer up the lamb? Or are _you_ turning to me in hopes that I would offer up the Lamb to God?"

"Robert, please, the orders do not come from _me_, a mere layman in the church. The High Priestess has been waiting for the ripen age of her own fruit to bring forth the Paradise that we all so eagerly seek. But before we do that we must appease God by offering the Lamb of Innocence. God's will permits it. The Lamb must be purified of all past, present and future sins through—"

"I know the story, Brian. I still don't see why the High Priestess would turn to me for the Lamb. Albeit, I am most _honoured_ that she has, but why me?"

"Do not question her authority, Robert. Do as you are told, _that_ is a direct order from _me_."

The man named Robert Thames nodded his head and stood up again. He turned without saying another word and left the office, finding himself once again in the _corridor, where the walls were deteriorating again and the floor beneath me was no longer solid. I was standing in the hallway, facing away from the office. I turned back and tried for the doorknob but it was locked._

_What the hell was that about?_

There was a sudden crumbling sound of cement collapsing. I turned again and stared down the hallway. The wall before me now possessed a giant, gaping hole, and beyond that was darkness.

I walked down the hallway and climbed through the hole into the abyss.


	4. Mental Shift

_**AN: This chapter gets really messed up. At some points I completely throw out punctuation marks and grammar (more towards the end). So don't be alarmed, I wasn't hit over the head with anything!**_

**Episode Four: Mental Shift**

As I entered through the hole in the wall, I felt a tightening grip in my mind, like someone was searching through it with their bare hands. I winced a bit, but didn't really pay much attention to it after that. I had stepped back into the conference room. Only this time it was much darker than before.

I hate the dark even more now.

I turned to my right to see if there was anything new in this room—seeing how this place keeps on changing on me—but I found nothing new except a metal fence before my face. Loose articles from past newspapers were clinging to the grimy metal wires. I caught a glimpse of one article in particular. I read "_Fire Sweeps Through Town"_ on it. It was apparently from the _"Braham's Herald"_ newspaper.

Suddenly, a flood of images ravaged through my brain. The surrounding around me immediately evaporated and was replaced by memories of the great fire that licked through my hometown. Then the memory of when I found Mother in her bedroom surrounded by the hundreds of candles. Then I found myself in the church again, kneeling on one knee and clasped my hands together in prayer and

Someone walked up in front of me

My head was bent over so I didn't see whom it was

I could only see their shadow

They placed a heavy hand on me and the voice of a man intervened in my false prayer

Aidan he said keeping his hand on my right shoulder why are you still here asked he

His voice was soothing somehow

I didn't respond at first because I was a bit irked

After a brief moment of silence I said amen and looked up at the man

He was old and pale and had grey-hair his eyes bother me

Yes father I said trying to avoid his scanning eyes

Why are you not with the others on this festive day

I stood up now

I don't fit in with the crowd they all have unforgiving stares

That should not hinder you from joining in on the festivities

I don't care for them

They can be helpful for the trapped soul

My soul is tainted

Even so

It doesn't matter

He forgives

I know but

Communicate

I'm trying Father

Pray

I'm trying Father

Believe

I'm trying Father

Try harder

I'm trying Father

Go live and face your evils then

I can't this church is my sanctum now

You must live this church will be here until the end days your mortal life will not

It doesn't matter anymore I've already purchased a one-way ticket to

Don't speak

Sorry Father

He left me then and I was alone in the church again I had to decide now whether or not I could face those demons out there

They were surely going to eat me alive

I should have gone with _her_ she promised me protection from the demons

I walked away from the pews and walked down the aisle every step I took down the aisle echoed in the church's vast interior

The floor below me always sounded hollow it must be the basement but the floor seemed so thin

I reached the end of the aisle and went for the door when a thought crossed my mind

I turned around and asked the priest

Father is there a basement to this church

I don't know why I asked it but I did

The priest returned from one of the side doors and responded with a heavy no and walked away disappearing behind the door

I turned away from the church

And before me was a ladder blocking my way to the church's door

Not thinking I began climbing up the ladder and as I ascended every wrung I felt a pinch of pain in my head again and the church's interior fell from view and was replaced by a cold, cement wall.

I was hanging on the wrung of the ladder in the conference room. I stared up before me and spotted a gaping hole in the ceiling, and of course beyond that the darkness was impenetrable. I continued climbing up the ladder, not giving a thought to anything else before I was pulled back into the past again. Try as I might, I couldn't keep myself away. This place brings back too much.

The floor was wet when I touched it. I pulled my body up from out of the hole and was on all fours on the floor that was wet. It wasn't exactly _solid_ either. It was damp, moist—it felt like a wet sponge.

My clothes were still wet from before, I could still feel the water running down my body and soaking up in the spongy floor. The new environment around me was shrouded in almost complete darkness, making it very difficult to see further than three to four feet in front of me, and beyond that was darkness.

To my left there were boarded up windows, and the ones that weren't boarded were shattered into a million little pieces. Graffiti blanketed the walls on either side of me and the shards of glass and trash was strewn about on the sodden floor. There were also dozens of beer bottles and burnt out buds piled together under one particular window whose edifice was covered in spattered blood, however, dried.

I walked on, lifting my legs high with every step as to try and not make contact with my already tight-fitted jeans, which were now getting ice-cold due to the dramatic change in temperature.

As I walked down the hallway I was running my hand across the surface of the wall—it felt grimy and was covered in something that glistened before the power of my light. I leant in and took a whiff of the wall and instantaneously I choked on the wretched stench and felt my stomach churning inside me. I began feeling the bile shooting up my oesophagus, burning the track as it did so. Then I tasted it in the bowls of my mouth and on my tongue and finally I bent over and let it flow out of my system. I clenched tightly to my stomach as I did so, with my eyes closed and my senses flaring. The scent of my own vomit made things worse.

_What the fuck was that shit?_ It smelt like a rotting corpse with a hint of shit and raw eggs. I could also distinctly make out the stench of a dead skunk or its pheromones.

When I finally finished my vomiting, and rid my mouth of its bitter aftertaste by spitting it out almost incessantly, I stood up again, a little light headed but continued on anyway. My stomach felt empty now and I grew rather hungry, but where would I find something to eat in a place like this?

I walked down the hallway and stopped suddenly to the sound of shuffling feet: Was my person still up here? Were they just around that corner? What the hell are they doing in a place like this anyway? Whatever made that sound just now was moving slow as it moved closer in my vicinity. I rushed up against the wall, despite its horrid stench and stayed there for a second and held my breath.

About thirty seconds went by and I suddenly saw light shine down from the connecting hallway. It flickered for a second but then disappeared, but the shuffling still could be heard. Then an instant later the light came back and disappeared again. I moved away from the wall, finally, and inched closer to the corner. I could now see my reflection in the only window that wasn't broken or boarded up: my hair was pasted to my face because of the water, but it was starting to dry out. The glare from the flashlight blocked about half of my face but from what I could see my visage was worn and tired-looking, which I was at this point. My skin was paler than ever and I could see bags forming beneath my eyes. My jacket looked darker in the reflection, as did my jeans.

I stood there for almost a minute staring at my image in the glass window, half-dazed and just realised that I was a real person. My existence before this felt empty, and as I stared at myself I realised that my life is real and I am living and I am made of tiny atoms and molecules and I'm _living_. I'm living. I'm living. I'm living? Am I really?

Am I really standing in a run-down fire station on the third floor chasing after an enigmatic person who might not even exist? Is the world around me truly what I believe it to be? What's going on? I don't like this anymore. I don't want this anymore. I want to go home. I want _Mommy!_

"_Mommy!" I cried out, running through the crowd of people as they made their way past me. I pushed and I cried and I pushed some more until the people moved out of my way. As I surfaced from the surf of people I finally found her. She was sitting at a bench beside an elderly woman with greying hair and deep-set eyes. She was wearing a strange purple garment and was talking to Mommy._

_I walked feverishly toward her, immediately taking her hand and looked into her eyes as she turned her gaze toward me. She smiled suddenly and said, _"Hey there little monster, I thought you were playing with ——?"

I squeezed her hand tightly and told her that I wanted to go home and I didn't want to play with —— anymore. "I want to go home, Mommy," I repeated, shaking her hand heatedly.

Mommy turned to the crazy-looking woman and bid her farewell. The woman said nothing except, "Remember, Sophie," and then Mommy and I left the park and made our way to the _corner of the corridor._

_I walked ever so slowly toward_ it, wanting to catch the person by surprise but not to give chase to them. Ireached it finally and made the turn and my light shone upon a set of metal bars blocking my path to further down the corridor. But there was _nothing_ there, not even a source of light or to the sounds of shuffling. There was nothing save for the lone door that had a placard on its face that read TRAINING ROOM. Its doorknob was missing. _Could the person have gone through here?_

I bent in closer toward the door to see if I could hear anything on the other side of the door. There were loud noises coming from inside the room. The person must definitely be in here. I bent down and tried peering through the hole where the doorknob should have been but to no avail. A dying fluorescent that crackled from within only lighted the room inside.

I turned off my light so as to not scare the person and eased the door open with the use of one hand. I opened it just enough so that I could slip through it and I did. I was now in what was called the "Training Room".

It was an expansive room, at least from what it looked like in the darkness. I could barely make out the edges of tables and benches and dumbbells. Posters that were on the walls were now peeling, as was the paint. There was a rustling coming from somewhere within the room, but my eyes had not adjusted fully to the darkness that I still couldn't see very far.

I moved slowly within the room, outstretching my arm so as to make sure I don't trip over anything. I grabbed on to something then: it was a steel rod and it felt loose in my hands. I pulled slightly at the rod—it made very little noise—and it came away easily.

Suddenly there was movement beside me and by reflex I swung the steel rod and I hit something—or someone? The thing I hit made a loud and agonising scream; its voice gargled in the pits of its throat. My hand moved toward my flashlight then and turned it on. And then before me appeared three of those huge beasts that I saw back on the second floor—each one was slightly different in colour. The one I had hit lurched up off the ground and was about to attack with one of its massive-clawed arms when I batted it down again, smashing its bones as I heard a loud, blood-curdling snap and crunch. And again it cried out in protest, but it then swung its other arm at me; by reflex, I swung the rod once more and broke its other arm. I felt a surge of rage pouring through my body at this time. Fucking thing was going to die!

I held the bâton de mort in my hands like I would a baseball bat and charged at the remaining monstrosities that stood chained to the floor before me. I flung my bat at the first; hitting its side with a heavy blow, feeling ecstasy as I heard its flesh tear open and its bone shatter to pieces. The third monster made a grumbling noise and then a high-pitched scream and lunged its massive arms at me.

It felt like a hundred-pound sack of bricks hit me in the stomach. I fell to the floor and was momentarily breathless. I clutched my stomach, where the pain was, and wheezed as I tried to catch my breath. The ground beneath me began to pound and my flashlight started to flicker wildly and then it went out and I was once again swallowed by the darkness. There was a sudden screaming coming from the monsters—I think—and then it faded away. I felt dizzy again and lost consciousness. Everything was gone. The world slipped away. My head hurt. Dark. Black. Gone…

"_And God said unto Man: Mayest thee find happiness in the Darkest of Days when the Foes of the Righteous riseth to tear thine faith asunder. Thine faith shall be tested; it shall not waiver if wisheth thee to reach the road to Paradise. Mine Child need stay strong in the face of battle. Xavier Chapter 13, Verse 5."_

The voice died in the distance. It was a woman. Her voice soft, yet not soothing. It made my skin crawl and my head hurt. I woke up lying on the wooden floor of the training room, which was lighted now, though barely. The pain in my stomach was dropped to a minimal, but my head still hurt. I tapped my flashlight and it turned on. The steel rod was jammed in the wall now, penetrating one of the fitness posters. I went to retrieve it, and with closer inspection I realised that it was not a fitness poster that the rod tore through: it was a rather large painting.

The painting was of three women—one of which was destroyed by the pipe that went through her belly—huddled around a small bonfire of some sort that cast long, ominous shadows behind them. There was a caption beneath the painting:

_Faith_

"_And the Three Saints await the arrival of God to Grace them with Her Blessing."_

_Michael 5:12_

_Jonathon Wilkes_

_1898 – 1899_

And scribbled beneath that were the words _"STUPID FOOLS"._ I then managed to pull the jammed baton out of the painting, causing it to rip even more, and a door was revealed to me. I tore at the painting, completely removing it from its frame and what looked like a cupboard door came into view. I reached for the knobs and turned them—they turned easily—and opened the doors. A tiny crawlspace was what was behind this door, barely enough room to accommodate me. Looking over my shoulder I saw that the door was now boarded up. _What the hell is wrong with this place?_

I crawled into the opening, which was a rather tight squeeze, but I managed. It wasn't a long crawl, but it was still dark as hell. My flashlight was still in my breast pocket and I forgot to take it out. But it didn't matter because I was out of the crawlspace in no less than a minute.

I dropped into a small, square room. My flashlight provided all the light in here. It looked like a vault of some sort, only there was nothing for safeguard. The room looked vacated—as if someone cleared out the room in a rush. Every single one of the safes that were built into the walls was left open—no, I was wrong, there's one more in the corner over there. I walked slowly over to the corner where the lone, locked safe was and inspected its dial: there were three numbers that needed to be entered in order to unlock the safe, three numbers that eluded my mind.

Wait. Could it possibly be? I remembered the verse from the painting then. Could it really be that easy? It was well worth the try. I pressed my ear against the cold surface of the safe and dialled the first number, 5, then 1, and finally 2, but I heard nothing. Next I tried the years that were printed under the verse, but then realised that I only needed three numbers. I was stuck.

There was the sound of shuffling feet from behind me suddenly. I quickly turned around but saw no one; nothing was in sight, save for the huge, bolted door that stood rusting on its hinges.

But when I turned back to face the safe embedded in the wall the sound of shuffling feet came again, this time accompanied with a small girlish laugh. I ran towards the door this time, banging on it and crying out to the person on the other side.

"Hello," I cried out. "Who's out there? Can you help me? I need a ride out of this town! Hello?"

I didn't get a response—or at least a vocal one. A piece of yellowing paper slid from underneath the heavy door. I knelt down and picked it up and examined it.

"_When your faith has failed you,_

_Always look up to God and pray;_

_She alone can guide you only if you ask._

_All answers lie in Her hands."_

As if by reflex to what I had just read, I turned my view up to the ceiling of the vault. There I found not God but what looked like a skinned body of a woman. Her body was positioned in cruciform, her appendages tied with barbed wire and her head pulled back, also with the same type of wire. My stomach churned in reflex, bile climbed up my œsophagus and stopped at the back of my throat. I felt the burning sensation just boiling there as I held it back and swallowed. I moved my hand to my lips and kept it there until the sickness subsided.

And then my vision blurred again. The sound of wind rushed through my ears and I started falling back

back

back

_Zariah Chapter Twelve; Verse Three through Five _

_3…She spoke unto him and granted him New Life. God said, "Rise my Child and return to thine family." At these words he turned in horror at the prospect of a New Life, for it meant that God had denied him access to Paradise. But he will live his life, grateful, at least, for a second chance to better it._

_4He walked for miles in the desolate land. The Earth did not treat him well, or with respect. His body was brutally battered by the World as he traversed back to his family—who believed him to be on leave from his duties._ _This, of course, was God's Will to test his Strength. He would need to prove that he was fit to be accepted into the arms of God._

_5God saw his Courage and Strength and granted him a Spear to combat the Daemons that lurked in the Empty City._

I woke up with a splitting headache into a world so dark and wet. My eyes opened suddenly, and I found that I was still in the giant safe. Only this time, when I surveyed the ceiling, there was no body hanging above me.

There was a clanging sound then, it sounded as if the dial of a large chain lock was winding. There were several heavy _clangs_ in between the many lighter ones until finally it reached a loud _thud_. The massive steel door in front of me creaked open, scraping along the floor. I got up from the floor, standing before the opened door, and left the safe finally.

I entered an office room that was as dilapidated as any other part of this building—or as much as any other part of this town. I rounded the corner and switched on my flashlight, it immediately illuminated the office. Several long and rusted chains hung from the ceiling, almost completely carpeting the floor. There was a gurney pushed up against the wall opposite me, and on that gurney was what looked like a _body bag_! Pushing through the chains, and walking slowly making sure not to slip on the links on the floor, I made my way to the gurney.

The black bag was dripping in a thick liquid substance, staining the white of the gurney. The same substance stained the wall, dripping from a vent just above the gurney. Did that black bag fall from there? It was lumpy from what I could see, and it definitely wasn't moving. I hesitated for a second, standing in place, trying to breathe. My heart was racing a million times faster and I could begin to see my breath in the air. Was the temperature dropping? I didn't feel anything. To me the room was still at temperature. How is my breath condensing like that?

The only door that was in the room was chained from the inside. There was no way for me to get past the chains. I scanned the room once more but found no other means of escape. I couldn't go back through the safe, which would only lead to a dead end. My only option was, it came down to, the vent. It looked like it could fit a grown man—I mean; it fit this body bag (possibly). I'm not exactly the biggest of men anyway. So I did it. I climbed on top of the gurney, carefully placing each foot so as not to slip and crack my head; also making sure not to step on whatever was in the body bag.

My hands reached for the edge of the vent, the thick substance oozing under the palms of my hands. I managed to barely pull myself up from the gurney when I heard something.

_Aidan, honey, is that you?_

Mother?

_Of course, sweetie, who else would it be?_

But you're dead.

_I am? When did this happen?_

T-t-twelve years ago.

_How did it happen?_

It-it was _he_ who ran away.

_I don't remember. Why don't you show me, Aidan? Show mommy how it happened?_

I-I c-c-can't do that, M-Mother. Dr Manson told me n-n-not to.

_Why would he say a thing like that? Show mommy, will you please, Aidan? Let me help you, honey. We were living in Montpelier at the time. It was you, your brother and I. Remember Dennis? I was cooking in the kitchen like I always do whilst your brother was out with Louisa, and you were in your bedroom—_

—Writing in my journal like Doctor told me to. I was _writing about my day and how I had wanted to kill that ugly monster that I kept seeing every day. My heart raced every time I thought of it. I stopped writing then, and got up off the floor and ran to my dresser and I pulled out a…_picture of the family when we were all together as one. Before they killed Dad and before the burning and before everything! I was only a baby then, and Mother was holding me tightly in her arms. Dennis was at Father's hand, waiting for the photographer to finish. (The picture makes me happy.)

Happy. I like being happy.

I could smell the dinner Mother was preparing downstairs. God, even at the age of seventeen I still loved her alphabet soup.

Dennis was gone that night—and he never returned since then. I saw my chance. I would finally be able to…have all the soup to myself. Immediately, this thought excited me. I ran out from my room, hurrying down the stairs, and into the kitchen. I gave Mother quite the fright.

"Aidan!" she screamed, pointing her finger at me in that disapproving manner. But later I discovered that it was not I who had scared her.

Something hit me hard on the head, knocking me out entirely. But I was only unconscious for a few minutes. I woke up with smeared vision and I could hear the faint sounds of something scratching at the tiled floor of the kitchen. Water spattered on the floor, even spraying me on the face. I wiped it off with the sleeve of my shirt, and then I realised that it was not water that spattered on me, but blood. My eyes opened wide then and I took in the view that was given before me.

I saw my mother laying on the floor, facing me, her eyes just as wide as mine. Blood was dribbling from the corner of her mouth, which was opening and closing like that of a fish gasping for air. Her entire body was covered in blood—It looked like she had been bathing in it. And then something sharp went slicing down through the air because the next second her head slid from its place and went hiding under the kitchen sink.

My body crawled away from the scene then, whilst my mind stayed there, watching the murder take place. And then it all went black and I ended up in my basement. I climbed on top of the washer and pushed open the screen window and pulled myself in through the _crowded _

_vent._

_It was dark, cramped and _musty, covered in dust and lint and dead insects, but I managed to pull my way through just fine. I felt a tiny scrape at my leg, but it didn't bother me too much.

I climbed out of the small shaft and landed on a white-clothed table. The room I entered was flooded with lighting from above me; it nearly blinded me when I opened my eyes.

"Aidan," a voice called to me.

My mind was scattered all over the place. I was catching glimpses of the memory of the night my mother was murdered. I kept seeing her face flashing before my eyes.

Momma?

Was she calling me?

Momma?

The sound of a door shutting disturbed my scrambled thoughts and pulled me back into the reality I have come to know as Silent Hill. It was a door, and I saw it close. Was someone just here?

I ran to the door Pull it open Ran out And I wasn't on the third floor anymore

First floor I was on the first floor How? What's going on?

Mother? She died

Dennis

Murderer you murderer no?

Paintings on the wall They were everywhere Saints? No? Yes?

god god oh, god help me god? God help me

The room was square and it was dimmer in this room I tried for the door again lock broken what's going on here how did I end up here again wasn't I on the third floor I tried for the door again still nothing I pound on the door let me out I scream the room is getting smaller is it caving in on me why am I sweating the sweat rolls down my cheeks

The floor beneath me rumbles violently and it begins to descend.

I could see the paintings slowly moving up and away from me. The wallpapered walls soon become brick and then cement and then dirt and then stone. The temperature had dropped dramatically again—there was no breeze. The air felt denser down here, a bit muggy, but chill against my skin.

_Where am I? I don't know_, I told myself.

_My head hurts._

Everything was moving at the speed of light in my head. The pictures became a soup of blurred vision. Dates and times became obscure in the abyss of my mind. Everything was all wrong to me. Was I going crazy so early on in my journey through Silent Hill? What am I doing in this town anyway?


End file.
